Process of extracting copper from ores.



M TBNTD PEB. 28, 1905.

0. H, WATBRBURY. PRGESSF EXTRGTIG COPPER FROM GRES..

A dm im. reason.

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Patented February 2e, 1905.

Partitur rrice.

rifiirnnennfi ivnt'riite wiiei-uuerou.

EKTRAUTION UOivilANY. OE SPUKAN'E.

SlECIFICATION termine," part of Letters Patent No. 783,600, dated February :28, 190.5. ,Application iilod April 18, 1904. Serial No. 203,747.

To HH. lult/mt vit iii/,rey erin/nervt:

lie it known that l, (i iconen i-i. WA'reiuit-inr, a citizen of the United States of America. re* siding` in the city and county of VDenver and citate ol Colorado. have invented certain new and useful Improvements; in Proceseee Vtor the j Extraction oi Copper from Orcs; and `iA do dechire the following' to be a l'ull, clear, and exact description of the invention, euch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it api pertains to make and use the same, refereiice beinuhad to theaccompanying'drawings, and l to the letters ot' reference marked. thereon, which Form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improved procese for the extraction ol copper from ores.

ln carryi'ne'out my improved process i employ two steps namely, first, the leachingl step, and, second, the precipitating' step. The 1 leaching step consists in dissolvii'ig the copper or placing; it in solution, while the precipitating i p consists in scttiing the dissolved copi per. The ore is iii-st prel'iared by lnjilverizine it to a suitalile meeh. placed in a tank containing a solution of euliurous acid, to which ie added a comparati vely .small quantity ol" sulfuric acid. lhc water lshould be saturated with the sulfuroue acith which is coniparatively cheap; but a small quantity ot' thc sulfuric or more expensive I acid is required. After the oro is placed in this soiution air and steam are introduced iat the bottom of the tank through the instrul mentality ol" suitable apl'iaratus, whereby the combined Huid is forced up through the ore, with the result that the copper is extracted or dissolved. rl.`his extraction oi the copper requires `from twenty to sixty minutes approxi mately, depending" on the nature of the ore and other comlitions. The union of the steam with the air heats the volume of air in a much more satisfactory and erf-miomical way than can be accomplished in any other manner.` lt is evident Vthat the instant the steine and air enter the tank the air wiil immediately7 expand and pass rapidly upwardly throne-h the ore in the tank. This action ot the air pi'ol duces the necessary agitation whereby the:

This I mlverizcd orc is i particles ot' ore are brought into direct and i extraction or dissolving' of the copper is et fccted. As soon as the leachin, operation is i coiiipiete the solution is drawn ott1 into a precipitatiiig-tank containing particles of metal, as aluminium or steel. placed in a prei-.ipitatingatanlt in any desired torni, as in sheets or smaller particlee. The

forni must, however, be euch that the solutiont. ie allowed to :ii'culate freely therethrough.

Air and .steam are then intriiidueed at the boti tom ol the precipitatingtank and caused to pass up through the copper solution, whereby the copper is precipitated orfcauscd to settle on the bottom oi the tank.

out oi my improved process ,in the earigvine' .l employ suitable appari'itue, which will now be described, thoueh it must be understood that l do not limit the invention to the said apparatus,` showil; neither is there anything' ciaiiiied iii `thie application on the said apparatue. p

iteicrrinn to the accompaiiyiinr drawings,

Figure 1 a view oi an apparatus for carryingr eut the proceea, the two tanks--nainely,

beingshown in central rerticii Section. Fig. 52 is an .underneath view ol. the pipc-co1l located in the bottom ol either tank, showint `bottom of which is placed a pipe-coil A', perforated on' its under side, as shown at A". 35

(See Fie'. 2.) Air from a pipe H and steam irom a pipe li are introduced into the tank in any suitable manner. die shown in the drawings, these two pipes unite at Bi, where the air and steam ioin. pass through two pipes li: and l. the said pipes being respectively connected 'th the opposite extreniities oi the porfin-ate, eil A'. whereby the air and etcain are intinilueed into the bottom ol' the tank. from the tank /t passes therefrom to avaivcd This metal may be 55 the The air and steam then 'lhe @elution 95 gg v Y 'resten outlet C, controlledby n telve Cl, to :i conduit C? and thence into the precipitilting-tank D, having n enge D' containing metal lli in :i sutiiciently-divided form to enable the solution to circulate freely therethrough. onnected with the nir und steam pipes B und B' are brnnclies lll nud l', prorided with vulves E2 and F. lhc nir and steznn from these pipes' unite et E4 und pass through u suitable outlet E" into a. conduit E", which connects nt its lower extremity with n pipe l?, hnving two downwardly-extending branches F' und if, whose lower extremities are connected with the opposite extremities of the perforated coil A, which is'substnntiully of the construction shown in Fig'. Q, the perforntions of the coil being preferably located on the under side. The coil A is preferably supported by means of sluts A, placed upon thc bottom of the tank l), whereby the coil is sulliciently supported from the bottom of thc tank to enzible the nir and stcnm to escape freely therefrom nnd pziss upwnrdly through the mctnl. lf desired, steam :done muy be introduced into the prccipitnting-tunli.

in the d rziwings u hydraulic cylinder i muy be employed for lifting the enge D' ont of the precipitnting-tunli or tothe position shown by dotted lines in Fig'. l'. A piston (not shown) located within the hydraulic cylinder is connected, by menus of n rod il", with the snid enge, whereby the lutter may be lifted and the metul or contents of the enge raised out of the precipitating-tenl( at pleasure.

in the lenchii'ig-tnnlt, l designates the ore, und l the solution of the tnnl, while in the prccipitntingtunl .l designates the solution. i prefer to use aluminium ns the metal in the precipit-ating'tnnl, 21s better results are obtained from the use of this particular metal.

'lhe precipitating process described in this specilicntion is not claimed herein, haring" been divided out nud made the subject-mutter of n ne npplicntion.

lluring' thus described my invention, what i claim is l. ."1 process of extrncting copper from ore,

consisting lirst in pulvcrixingthc orc to n .suit

nbir mesh. placingV it in :i solution ol'sulfurous :mu sulfurieucid. und Iinully inl 'oducing nir und steam nt the bottom of the receptacle containing" the solution und ore.

The herein-described process of extracting copper from ores, consisting' first in plecing,` the suitable pulverized ore in a tnnk Containing' n solution of sulfurous and sulfuric zicid, introducing' nir und steam to the solution under suitable pressure, drawing` olf the solution from the leaching-tank into a precipitsting-mnh containing metal sutliciently divided tonllow the solution to circulate therethrough, und finally introducing steam, or air combined with steam tothe precipitating-tank whereby the copper is caused to settle in the tank.

A process of leaching` copper ore coinprising' placing' the .suitnbly-pulverized ore in u. solution` of sulfurous und sulfuric scid, and subjecting the pulp thus formed to agitation, by introducingnir und steam :it the bottom of the receptacle.

l. A process of leaching copper ore com-v prising placing the snitably-pulverized ore in u solution of sulfurous und sulfuric acid, and subjecting' the pulp thus formed to agitation by the intrmluction of ai und steam to the pulp muss.

process oi leaching' copper ore,.con sisting' in placing' the suitnhly-pulverized ore in n solution formed by snturnting water with sulfurous :icid und adding thereto n compare.- tirelysmnll quantity of sulfuric scid, and subie/sting' the muss thus 'formed to agitation.

o. A process of extracting copper from ore, consisting' in placing' the snitnblyspulverized ore in n solution composed of water saturated with sulfurous ucid and containing et compnrntively small qunntity of sulfuric seid, subjecting the mass to ngitntion'until the copper is dissolved, drawing' of the solution containing' the copper sind placing itin u receptacle containing metal suiliciently divided to nllow the solution to circulate therethrough, end suhjecting,` the solution to agitation until the copper is precipitated.

In testimony whereof l nlrix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HEORME il. AUXERRE RY. `ls'vitnes is:

NENA llnLsoN, J. UBnnm. 

